The destruction of the Buenavista Doppler Radar Station in November 2020 during super typhoon Rolly continues to be felt by the local office of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), particularly during Tropical Storm “Kristine” last week.
Had the radar facility been operating, it could have provided a more accurate picture of the heavy rains brought by the storm that brought a total of 481.6 mm of rain starting at 4 PM of Oct. 21, 2024 until the morning of Oct. 23.
In contrast, the storm generated only a maximum gust of 45 kph at the Virac Synoptic Station, PAGASA Catanduanes’ chief meteorological officer and officer-in-charge Juan Pantino Jr. told the Tribune.
On the raising of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 1 over Catanduanes in the morning of Monday, Oct. 21, with the tropical depression still about 1,000 kilometers away, he said that the central office made the decision in order to prevent fishermen from venturing out to sea and potentially expose themselves to danger as the storm approaches.
Existing protocol between the weather agency and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) states that the raising of TCWS #1 triggers the immediate implementation of the no-sail policy on sea vessels.
On PAGASA’s issuance of Gale Warnings, the final say on sea travel is with PCG depending on the estimated wave height 10 to 15 kilometers from the shore.
Pantino said that, unfortunately, some local fishermen tend to ignore Gale Warnings for sea areas within 30 nautical miles or 55 kilometers from the coast, as they often assume that the calm sea within municipal waters 15 kilometers from the shore.
The warnings state that “in rough to high, very high, or phenomenal seas, sea travel is risky for vessels of any type or tonnage,” with all mariners strongly advised to remain in port or, if underway, seek shelter or safe harbor as soon as possible until winds and waves subside.
From 2020 to 2022, a total of 17 fishermen from Catanduanes who ignored no-sail warnings went missing or were found dead after rough seas sank their motorized bancas.
Gale warnings in specific areas in the country are based on remote sensing observations of coastal seas made by High-Frequency Doppler Radar (HFDR) facilities established by PAGASA in dozens of selected coastal municipalities.
In the Maqueda Channel separating Catanduanes from the Bicol mainland, the observations of three HFDR facilities – one in Tiwi, Albay, the second in Oring, Caramoan, Camarines Sur, and the third in Agojo, San Andres, Catanduanes – are triangulated, with the results evaluated in the PAGASA central office.
However, of the three HFDRs, only the two facilities in the mainland are actually operating, with the Agojo station currently inactive due to lack of telecommunications signals in the area.
Constructed in 2018 on land donated by San Andres LGU during the term of then Mayor Peter C. Cua, the P180 million facility is supposed to measure ocean wave height, wave direction and speed, ocean current and sea surface temperatures using state of the art HF radar-based signal.
However, after its completion, PAGASA personnel found out that it could not transmit data to the server at the central office for lack of signal.
Its 35-KVA diesel generator set was also soaked in sea water during the storm surge of super typhoon Rolly.
Pantino disclosed that the contractor of the facility is scheduled to arrive soon to conduct rehabilitation work. Another unutilized facility constructed by the weather agency is the coastal monitoring station at Igang, Virac.
The solar-powered facility has a camera on a steel pole facing Cabugao Bay, with the device supposed to continuously record video of the sea in real time and upload a snapshot every five (5) minutes to the server via a satellite dish.
For unknown reasons, the contractor has failed to provide a link to the central office that would allow the station to connect with the server.
As for the Buenavista Doppler Radar, it is claimed that PAGASA is still in talks with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the funding of its rehabilitation which is estimated to cost at least P300 million using upgraded Japan Radio Company (JRC) equipment.
However, there is no available funding at this time for the rehab work, a source said.
A search of PAGASA’s 2024 budget shows a P200 million allocation for the establishment of a new Doppler weather radar station but only P362 million for the construction, repair and rehabilitation of damaged weather stations and ICT equipment and facilities.
A third option would be to secure P150 million funding for the installation of a new C-Band Dual Polarization Solid State Weather Radar at the existing tower, with its existing equipment to be stripped away for use as spare for the Guiuan, Samar and Aparri, Cagayan Doppler radar stations.
A similar C-Band radar station with a range of 480 km was built in Laoang, Northern Samar and in Cataingan, Masbate in 2023.
On the other hand, while local government units in Bagamanoc and Viga have Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), they are not well maintained, such that the one in Viga already had a tree growing inside its small enclosure when it was inspected.
The data gathered at the AWS at the Provincial Capitol as well as those in Gigmoto and Baras is not shared with PAGASA, which could have generated better weather reports based on actual situation.
The town of Bato also has an AWS but it has a standing agreement with Virac Synoptic Station to share rain gauge readings from the fabricated gauges distributed to several flood-prone barangays, which serve as basis for preemptive evacuation decisions in case of flooding.
Like its cooperation with international weather agencies, PAGASA needs the LGU’s AWS data to improve its services, Pantino said.